Females Achieve Orgasm and Sexual Pleasure by Working Out

It looks like time at the gym may be more satisfying for women than a hot date. A new study from the University of Indiana confirms that women can achieve an orgasm, often called “coregasm,” simply by working out.

While not unheard of, reports of “coregasm” have circulated in the media for years, these are the first confirmed findings authored by Debby Herbenick, co-director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion in Indiana University’s School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation and J. Dennis Fortenberry, M.D., professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine and Center for Sexual Health Promotion affiliate. The findings are published in a special issue of Sexual and Relationship Therapy.

Coregasm derived its name from its association with exercises for core abdominal muscles and Herbenick stated that, “the most common exercises associated with exercise-induced orgasm were abdominal exercises, climbing poles or ropes, biking/spinning and weight lifting.” The researchers found the data interesting because it suggests that an orgasm is not necessarily just a sexual event and they believe it will lead to a better understanding of bodily processes underlying women’s experiences of orgasm.

The findings are based on surveys that were administered online to women ages 18 to 63. In total, 124 women reported experiencing exercise-induced orgasms (EIO), while 246 women experienced exercise-induced sexual pleasure (EISP). It was noted that most of the participants were in a relationship or married and identified themselves as heterosexual.

While the mechanisms behind exercise-induced orgasm and exercise-induced sexual pleasure remain unclear, researchers hope to learn more about what triggers both in the near future as Herbenick stated, “this is an area of women’s sexual health research that has been largely ignored over the past six decades.”